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Magic has been with Nor since almost he beginning. There are many stories about how magic came about, but the most common one was best told by the Sage Galin.

From Magic and how it make Nor a better Place by Galin the Sage

Magic, it is responsible for most things that are good in the world, and most things that are terrible, but where does it come from? I have devoted many years to just this question and there are as many theories as there are people looking for the answer. There does seem to be one that is most common and so far fits all that we know it. Both Divine and Arcane magic are properties of the same type of thing. That is why divine spells will work like arcane spells and are completely capable of affecting each other. We know that divine magic comes from the Gods, but that must mean that arcane magic it somehow tied to them as well. History shows us that the Gods were once mortal, though that term is used lightly, as their lives went on for centuries. We also know that each one had great power, so great that it was enough to destroy them world they came from, forcing them to come to Nor. It was great enough to remake Nor in the image of their old home, and it was also great enough to almost cause its destruction. This time however, the gods decided that rather then destroy all they had made, they would commit the ultimate sacrifice. They left all mortal ties behind and ascended, to become as they are now. So when they did this, what happened to all that power that they could call on as mortals? It filled the entire world, permeated everything and became magic. For a long time those left behind, races created by the god, did not know how to use this power. It was the dwarf Kerius that first asked the gods to grant him spells. He didn't really know that is what he was doing at the time though. He was his Clans surgeon, and was trying to help a young dwarf who had been injured. Everything he tried did not work, so he asked for help from the spirit of Tir, who had once been his lord before he ascended. Some part of Tir had existed and granted Kerius healing power. This was the first the creators had shown any type of involvement in the world. For years after Kerius experimented on how to focus this power he was granted, and found that having a focus helped. He fashioned one in the image of Tir, and found that could help him control that power much more easily. With more experimentation he found that the wording of his prayers could grant him power in different ways. What I believe he was doing, was establishing an Identity for Tir. Each prayer focused the energy that was Tir, and gave it purpose. In the end Kerius had created much of the prayers we use now. He taught other and soon people were praying to all of the great lorded who ascended. It was then that tree men sought to study this and how it worked. They discovered that somewhere was a font of power… not truly here but elsewhere though it touched here somehow. They searched for a way to reach this power and built the pool of energy. Now this pool was no real poop, but rather a place where our world touched the place where this power was stored. They created access keys called conduits that allowed one to draw from this pool and use that power. The raw energy was unlike what Kerius used though, as the power granted to him by Tir was already buffered. Set for an intended purposed. The three, name Palic, Curestrim and Andry pulled raw power. It was very dangerous and hard to control, so they devised a system of movements and gestures that would focus this power to certain things. They found though without a Gods touch there were some things it could not do. Healing was one of them. The things it could do were amazing though. They invented new keys and processes but found a limitation. This power only worked when close to the pool. To correct this they sent the power out, creating invisible pipe for it to flow through. They could then use their conduits to access it anywhere on the planet.

Now though Palic, Curestrim and Andry were probably the most intelligent being on Nor, they also did not share the same philosophy. Curestrim thought the power should be used by them to rule others. That they should be kings. Palic thought it should be used to help all, and Andry was more interested in learning more about it, than to care how it was used, as long as it was used. This created many problems, between them….

The book goes on into the great mage wars, but that can be found elsewhere. What is also important to note is that there was a time where magic was not so structured. A being once tried to absorb the power of the pool to make himself a god. His plan failed, but the pool was shattered, and the ley line, that the first mages created were shattered. Magic was everywhere, and thus were born those who could use it with complicated spells and gestures. While many thought this was a good change, it was not. With so many people able to use magic, with no rules to guide them, magic was often used to control and destroy. During this time, mages were feared and hated, for most were interested in personal gain. Items of power were made and were almost common. They allowed a normal man to become a tyrant for the right price, and soon the world was controlled by those with the most money and power. There came a division to the world. Those that had magic and those that didn't. In the end, the Mage Arvendel along with friends repaired the pool and forced magic back to its constraints. The effort caused him his life, but it gave the world back its balance. Control of the pool was placed in the hand of several Elven Nobles, now called the nine. It is they who decide which mage should be able access magic and who should not. Because Magic has so permeated the world, any one with the right knowledge and discipline can use it, but they can only draw what is in the world around them. In order to draw more, they need access to the pool somehow. The Nine have sanctioned several organizations which can grant access to the pool. The most common, the Towers of Magi require mages to swear loyalty and pass test to advance in magic. The Circle or Wizardry requires mages to specialize in a certain type of magic, and base their heirachy around that. Other organization have thier own way of granting access. Please visit that organizations page for more details.

Game Info

Arcane casters can cast any spell or level 2 or lower without the need of a conduit. In order to obtain a conduit, they have to have the sponsorship or a mage guild/organization.

Some classes that have access to arcane spells may be able to cast spells higher then 2nd without the need of a conduit. They might also have another way to access the pool, please see the individual class entry for more information on this.

Sorcerers access magic differently. When creating a sorcerer, see the dm to work out the details. Some suggestions are:

Spell Restrictions

Some spells are banned or changed. Below are some specific banned spells. The reason these spells are banned varies. Some are banned because of balance, other for flavor, and other because they just take up to much time to resolve, or for story/campaign reasons.